Garden strawberries, which have come into our use under the name of a related plant — strawberry, has become one of the most popular berry crops in the garden plots of our summer residents. Many, not unreasonably, love and appreciate its taste and aroma. Ripening one of the first in the garden, the berries of garden strawberries have a high content of vitamins that are so necessary for our body after a long winter..
But not every gardener manages to please himself and his family with a good harvest of berries. Therefore, let’s figure out how we can get the desired results..
Site selection and preparation
Since garden strawberries are a light-loving culture, we need to choose a well-lit area. Of course, in a small garden this is a difficult task, but even this minus can be a plus for us. The fact is that on a hot afternoon, strawberry plants will be much more comfortable in the light shade of trees. But the rest of the time, good lighting is still desirable..
On the beds where the plants will be planted, it is worth scattering compost or vermicompost, as well as applying complex mineral fertilizers in the recommended doses. After that, it is worth digging up the area to a depth of 20-25 cm (about the bayonet of a shovel) and smoothing the surface well with a rake. When digging, try to select all the larvae of the May beetle (beetle), which are very harmful to the roots of plants.
Correct fit
At first glance, an uncomplicated technique becomes the main reason for failures in growing garden strawberries. The reason is that strawberries cannot tolerate the deepening of the growing point when planting. An improperly planted plant usually dies. Therefore, it is necessary to cover the seedling with earth until the point of attachment of the leaf petioles to the root collar. Also, make sure that the roots do not curl up in the hole. And if they are very long, shorten them slightly. The best option for novice gardeners is to buy strawberry seedlings with a closed root system. In the nursery, she was already planted according to all the rules in a container and you just need to get it out of the container and put it in the hole.
Planting scheme of garden strawberries
Another mistake gardeners make is over-thickening planting. There are a huge number of planting schemes for garden strawberries and each claims to be the best. You have the right to choose any of them. Or you can create a scheme convenient for yourself, following the general rules: place plants no closer than 20-30 cm in a row, and vigorous varieties — 30-40 cm.It is better to leave a distance of 40 to 90 cm between rows, depending on how close you put them in a row. When landing, it may seem that these are very long distances. But after a couple of months the plants will grow up, and when you harvest large berries, you will never want to plant thickly garden strawberries. A very interesting and convenient way to grow strawberries is to plant in narrow beds. With this method of cultivation, it is convenient to carry out work on caring for plants and picking berries. Another modern and recognized by many summer residents way to minimize labor on the plantation is planting on black agrofibre. This material is very popular with summer residents who do not have much time to weed. It is also able to retain the moisture needed by plants..
When to plant strawberries
The beauty of garden strawberries is that they can be planted almost all year round at temperatures above + 5 ° C. But there are optimal planting dates. The best time is from August to October. You can also plant in spring.
Planting care
Starting the season, it is worth cutting off all the dried leaves on the plants. If you want to get the berry early, it is worth covering the plantings with a covering material with a density of 23 or 30 gsm. Also, this technique will help prevent damage from spring frosts. Do not overlook the weeding of garden strawberry beds. In this way, you will not only get rid of weeds, but also improve aeration of the root system. Also, don’t forget about watering your plantation. After watering, the soil around the plants should be loosened so that a crust does not form. Tear off excess mustache. So your plantings will not thicken and the berries will rot less from diseases. And also this technique will make it possible to get a larger harvest. The mustache should only be left when you want to propagate strawberries..
We are sure that after following all the above tips, you will be able to grow a wonderful harvest of this wonderful berry..